Amy first contacted me in July, just a few months before her wedding, to see if I was available for her very small wedding in October. Thankfully, I did have the day available! After asking for a little more information about her wedding, she told me that she and her fiancee really would have been happy to elope, but decided that they wanted to give their families a happy reason to get together. On their wedding day, Ryan looked at me and said, “We want today to be as RELAXED as possible.” Which was amazing to hear from a photographer’s standpoint. The plan for the evening was to get married, spend time with family, and take a few photos. In order to keep the relaxed atmosphere, they chose to have a “barbecue and University of Tennessee” theme. It fit their personalities perfectly. The bride’s Aunt made these darling cookies.

Amy and Ryan are both traveling nurses (which is how they met). They are busy with their lives right now and are currently living out of state, but really wanted to be married at this particular church. It is the church where two of her brothers were married and is near and dear to the hearts of her family members.

The bride’s grandmother gave her a special handkerchief to wrap her bouquet in and also brought flowers from her garden. It was such a perfect touch. I loved the simplicity of the details at this wedding.

Amy made such a beautiful bride. I loved seeing the relationship she has with her family and it was obvious to me why they wanted a small wedding.

The ceremony was officiated by the groom’s longtime friend who came all the way from Knoxville to marry them. She voluntarily wore her UT scarf to coordinate with the theme. Amy and Ryan clearly love each other so much. It was obvious by the look on his face when he saw his stunning bride for the first time. One of my favorite photos from the whole day was when the bride’s twin brother was saying SOMETHING to Ryan just before she walked down the aisle, and then glancing over at him a few minutes later.

After the ceremony, we proceeded to the basement, where everyone was able to enjoy each other’s company in an extremely relaxed environment. The toasts were given by the bride’s twin brother and the woman who has been her best friend since they were 5.

Because the wedding was so small, we decided to do couples portraits after the reception, which worked out amazingly well. They didn’t miss out on their party and we were able to take advantage of the amazing golden hour light. batman makes his appearance[/caption]

Thank you, Amy and Ryan, for letting me be a part of your day! Here’s to many years together, you two!Read More